The technique uses abdominal breathing (breathing with the diaphragm rather than intercostal muscles) and visualisation:

• While breathing in, visualise the diaphragm pushing the stomach down and away from the chest.
• Then while breathing out visualise the diaphragm relaxing, releasing its hold on the oesophagus, and rising back up into the chest leaving the stomach behind.  Visualising space between the stomach and diaphragm.
• Repeat exercise, taking deep but relaxed abdominal breaths for as long as feels appropriate

The breathing coupled with the visualisation should reduce the upwards pressure upon the stomach created by abdominal pressure because of poor posture, over weight, over eating, stress and tension, etc.

Clients have found that the technique gives them almost immediate relief and when repeated on occasion find no re-occurrence of discomfort.  They also report the exercise is best done lying down.

The back bone of my practice is based at Woodland Herbs, a clinic and shop in the west end of Glasgow. I also see clients at Life Medicine, a practice set up by a few colleagues and myself in the south side of Glasgow.  One day a month I attend a local university to provide on-site shiatsu for staff. The rest of the time I spend attending home visits in and around Glasgow for clients who cannot make it to one of the clinics for health reasons.  I like the balance of venues as it provides a bit of variety to how I spend my time as well as enabling me to reach more people.

Now usually I keep my home visits limited to Glasgow.  However, a friend and colleague with whom I swap treatments with was looking for some shiatsu in support of her recovery from recent surgery. So for the time being one afternoon a week my time is taken on a return trip by ferry across the Clyde estuary to the Cowal peninsula.

All exercises are done to the count of eight, then repeated.

Always start to the left

Following exercises are done twice each side (one and two), before repeating on the other side (three and four), etc.

1.    Feet apart, sight bend in knees, rotate upper body 90° to the side, allowing arms to swing out.
2.    Feet apart, bring arm up to the vertical, then bending body sideways past the vertical towards the horizontal on the opposite side.
3.    Feet apart, bend knees, bend body bringing arms and head between your legs for double count, then standing upright extending back beyond the vertical, looking up and back for double count.
4.    Feet apart, looking straight ahead, elbows out, middle fingers touching, twist upper body to the side.
5.    Feet apart, hands on hips, drop head to the side.
6.    Feet apart, hands on hips, drop head forward for double count then back for double count.
7.    Feet apart, hands on hips, turn head to look over shoulder.
8.    Feet together, dip by bending knees then straighten double count, then up on toes again double count.
9.    Turn one foot out extending foot, heel on ground, bend on back leg as bum moves back.

Following exercises are done four times, before repeating on other side.

10.    Arm above head, drop across body allowing to swing out and back up to starting position above head. Change sides on the drop.
11.    Both arms above head, dropping across body and out and back up to start position above head. Change direction from start position, arms dropping out returning up and across the body.
12.    Repeat Number 11 this time bending knees on the drop.

If done right this will have taken 3 minutes.

Just back from a lovely day at Pollock Country park.  I was part of a team of therapist representing Woodland herbs at the Pollock family day.  The weather was lovely, blue sky and the occasional big fluffy cloud.  As is usual at these events the day started slowly which was great as it gave me the opportunity to have some on-site massage from Mary.  Just the thing for starting the day.  Cheers Mary.

Now while I was having my massage, I caught the smell of Moxa.  Just the thing for my dodgy knee.  So when Mary had finished with me I sat myself down with the acupuncturists, who were playing with a Tiger warmer (An instrument that holds smouldering Moxa that is used to warm acupuncture points).  Kindly, Paula applied the nourishing heat to my knee, heaven. Cheers Paula.

Having had two treatments from colleagues it was only fair that I returned the favour.  Which I did by working on Paula’s shoulders.  As the morning went on I think we all had at least one treatment each.  Filling the time talking by working on each other, talking about our therapies, sharing tips, etc.

By the end of the day I had worked on a few clients, earned a few pennies, watched the presentation of a man dressed as a Knight showing fathers and sons nasty tricks with sharp implements, received some treatment and chatted with my colleagues.  All in all it was a pleasant day.

The lack of research into shiatsu was made evident by The Systematic Evidence Review for Shiatsu which was commissioned and funded by Shiatsu Society and undertaken by the Centre for Complementary Healthcare & Integrated Medicine at the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, Thames Valley University. However the review also looked at research relating to acupressure, which is an aspect of shiatsu. It found a lot more research into acupressure and concluded that there was generally consistent evidence to demonstrate that acupressure can control pain. Other areas of research were found to be either inconsistent and needed further research or demonstrated week evidence due to study design.

The Effects and Experience of Shiatsu: A Cross-European Study was commissioned and funded by the European Shiatsu Federation and undertaken by the School of Healthcare at University of Leeds. The research took place in three countries, Austria, Spain and the UK. The study’s findings confirm the safety of shiatsu. Benefits to general well-being, health maintenance, health promotion and awareness. It was noted that there was a reduction in the use of conventional medicine, medication and working days lost due to ill-health. As well as a statistically significant reduction in symptom severity for all symptom groups.

• The Systematic Evidence Review for Shiatsu - Full Version
• The Systematic Evidence Review for Shiatsu - Short Version
• The Effects and Experience of Shiatsu: A Cross-European Study - Full Version
• The Effects and Experience of Shiatsu: A Cross-European Study - Summary
• ESF Research Project Phase 2 Practitioner Report Final December 2007

Pressure can be applied in various ways and for the Shiatsu practitioner not all are advantageous. Observed from a far, Shiatsu can mistakenly be seen as the action of pressing or pushing. It is however the opposite. Passive pressure is achieved by relinquishing body weight to gravity, rather than applying power via muscles. Pushing usually meets with resistance, were as relaxation meets with relaxation and allows the pressure to penetrate.

Shiatsu is predominantly done at floor level for the purpose of allowing the practitioner to get their body weight over the area they are working. Shifting the balance of their weight by moving their centre of gravity from between their contact with the floor and their contact with the client. One of the first exercises a student experiences is crawling around the floor. Feeling the shift in weight between the hands and knees as they crawl about.

Another means of applying pressure is the relinquishing of portions of body weight. By releasing the joints the practitioner can allow their weight to drop portion at a time into the area they are working. This can be as follows: releasing the joints of the thumb, next the wrist, then the elbow, then the shoulder. Each joint released drops the weight of the appendage it is attached to. This means that pressure can be applied without creating compression at the joints where it would create tension and resistance therefore blocking the flow of pressure.

Now, that is all very well for downward vertical pressure, often circumstances arise where pressure needs to be applied horizontally. Like walking, the trick is to transform the act of falling down into falling forward. By shifting our body weight to fall forward of our centre of gravity we can lean into the area we are working on, transforming the downward force of gravity into forward pressure.

Both practices are a mixture of acupressure and massage. Acupressure being the application of pressure into the body at “tsubo” or “acu points”. The same points into which Acupuncturists insert needles.

Seated Shiatsu is a mode of Shiatsu that is particularly suited to short sessions in working environments.

At first sight, the kneeling chair often used by shiatsu practitioners, appears to be at a disadvantage to the On-site chair. The On-site chair providing far more support for the client, enabling them to relax. However, this apparent weakness is actually the kneeling chairs strength.

Some days, however, people just want to abdicate all to their practitioner for a little while. The On-site chair excels at this. The On-site chair also enables the practitioner to get more body weight behind their acupressure.

In conclusion the kneeling chair creates far more interaction and as a practitioner I find this a big advantage, however this is not always what the client wants.

Next move the upper leg to a different point of the calf. Repeat all over the lower leg seeking out tight and tender areas. Use the differing edges of the knee cap to find the right angle to meet the tight muscles. Let the relaxed weight of your leg to do the work rather than pulling. Relaxation results in deeper pressure. Stay with the tight and tender areas for as long as feels good. Let your breathing help you relax. If uncomfortable, then still use relaxed weight but for shorter periods of time. If painful, then work around the painful area. Do not apply directly to an injury. Rather this exercise will help the recovery of a muscle after the injury has healed.

Standing or sitting

1. While taking a deep breath. Roll your shoulders: forward, then up, then back.
2. Abandoning the breath let your shoulders drop down your back.

Repeat 3-5 times

If you take a big breath and make your movements big, to the first part of this exercise, you will find that your chest rises and comes forward. This will straighten your spine creating an exaggerated posture. As your shoulders come back your chin will tuck in, lengthening the back of your neck.

Having created this exaggerated posture during the in-breath, you are now free to release your shoulders in a manner that will enable your shoulder blades to drop down your back. Your chest, which is still forward, is now in a position to support your shoulders without the need of tension. As your shoulders are now naturally sliding down your back you will find that you no longer need to hold them in place.

When you have repeated this exercise a few times, take note of how you feel, then forget about it and go back to what you were doing. It is important that you do not try to keep yourself in this exaggerated position. You will just succeed in tightening. Rather listen for your body telling you when to repeat the exercise. Repeat again at the first sign of stiffness, ache or when you catch yourself slouching badly.

Now, that is not to say that other lower back muscles do not cause back pain. Rather, that a poor condition of the psoas usually leads to injuries in other back muscles.

What is the psoas I hear you say?

The psoas is a muscle that runs from the Lesser Trochanter, which is located on the inside of the upper leg, across the front of the pelvis, delving into the abdomen to attach to the lower back from the inside. It is a hip flexor and you may have heard of it as such. Other phrases that include the psoas within their meaning are “core muscles” and “core strength”.

Hip flexors do just that, flex your leg forward at the hip. However they also provide stability to the lower back. The hip flexors assist in posture and are a foundation to all movement. In particular the psoas helps control balance and works to keep our body weight running through our centre of gravity. When the psoas is poor at it’s job other muscles have to take an increased load and subsequently get injured.

The psoas can become week through poor posture. By slouching we cause the muscles to lose tone. Our poor posture can also result in straining the muscles. Most of us are repeatedly one-sided in our actions. This has the effect of creating an imbalance in the strength and flexibility of the muscles between one side of the body and the other. Often causing one side to be prone to injury.

Luckily our bodies tend to give us early warnings. In the case of the psoas, stiffness in the lower back. This is most often experienced upon waking, having sat for too long, stood for too long or felt while standing up.

Deep Shiatsu in the lower abdomen can help the condition of the hip flexors. Gentle exercise and stretching that focuses on relaxed movement can assist in improving tone and flexibility.

E.g. lie flat on your back, bring one knee up and cup it in your hands. Don’t pull your knee to your chest, rather, relax and let your arms extend. On the other side, as you breathe in, drag your heel along the floor towards your buttocks. Breathing out, slide your foot back along the floor till it’s straight again. Once straight, relax your leg completely (this is the most important part of the exercise, for most people the foot will fall outwards). Repeat up to 16 times each side, twice a day. This exercise can be done in bed, before you get up in the morning or when you go to bed a night. Another good time is when you get home from work.

Keep an eye out for habits that you maintain for long periods of time, like sitting or standing to one side, crossing you legs or slouching. Where possible bring your weight back to the centre. Take up Chi Gung, Pillates, Tai Chi or Yoga, all of which will improve your posture, core strength, muscle tone and flexibility, as well as improve your self awareness. You may wish to talk to the instructor about your back so they can keep an eye on you or adjust the exercises to suit you.

Get some play time, the difference between adults and children is that adults become very repetitive in how they move, were as children’s play is random, expressive and diverse.